Even after an informal meet-and-great with the star-director, the Canadian actor — cast as the cocky gunslinger who joins Eastwood and Morgan Freeman in a quest for vengeance — initially found the film’s A-listers somewhat unapproachable. “Clint, Morgan and Gene Hackman had three big chairs, side by side, and then they had my little chair about 30 feet away. And around their chairs was this space, an aura — no-one comes within the circle. But as the first week went on and I kept being professional and polite, my chair got closer and closer to theirs, without me moving it. Eventually I got to just sit there next to them, like a bump on a log, and listen to them bullshit."

Woolvett soon progressed from silent adoration to mischievous ice-breaking, slipping some dried cow crud into Clint’s sleeping bag during the camp fire scene. “We do our lines and Clint goes down to get in. He looks around at me, says, ‘There seems to be some cow shit in my bed’ and carries on with the scene. It was truly funny.” He remembers the shoot being “a magical experience” and took his director’s advice — “do what you want” — to heart.

He now lives in California where he’s content to stay away from the vagaries of Hollywood and play Mr. Mom. “I have two kids in high school — I’m making lunches, I’m making dinner and I’m vacuuming the living room. I had a brain tumour four years ago which took me out the loop, and the acting’s a little hit and miss, but I’m definitely a glass-is-half-full guy.”

As well as playing acoustic guitar sets around Long Beach, he uses his down-time preaching the virtues of Kiva (www.kiva.org) — a peer-to-peer loaning service which makes life easier for third-world entrepreneurs. As Woolvett enthuses, it’s “real quid from the people to the people”.

Sounds like the Kid has grown up.